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Miller, Martinez selected for Futures Game

Miller, Martinez selected for Futures Game

MLB.com analyst Jim Duquette takes a look at the U.S. roster for the 2011 All-Star Futures Game

By Matthew Leach
/
MLB.com |

ST. LOUIS -- The Cardinals' top two pitching prospects will be on display for all of the baseball world to see next month.

Right-handers Shelby Miller and Carlos Martinez, two of the system's top three prospects overall and unquestionably the No. 1-2 pitchers in the organization, were named Thursday to the XM All-Star Futures Game. Miller will pitch for the U.S. Team, while Martinez will pitch for the World Team.

It will be the second appearance for Miller, who faced two batters in last year's game. Martinez, however, wasn't even pitching in the United States a year ago.

The 13th annual Futures Game can be seen live on MLB.TV, ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD and followed live on MLB.com's Gameday on Taco Bell All-Star Sunday, July 10, at 6 p.m. ET. In addition, XM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on XM 175. MLB.com will provide complete coverage before, during and after the game, and you can keep up to date by following @MLBFutures on Twitter. Fans can join the Futures Game conversation by tagging tweets with #mlbfutures.

Major League Baseball, along with with the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau, MLB.com, Baseball America, USA Baseball and the 30 Major League Baseball clubs, selected the 25-man rosters for each club. Each organization is represented, and the World Team features players from 12 countries and territories. Players from all full-season Minor Leagues were eligible to participate.

Miller, 20, is by acclamation the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals organization. He was a first-round pick in the 2009 Draft and has done nothing but get hitters out since coming to pro ball. This year he's a combined 5-3 in 13 starts at high Class A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield, with 106 strikeouts, 26 walks and a 2.39 ERA in 79 innings. Miller is ranked the No. 14 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, and No. 4 among right-handed pitchers.

Martinez, 19, signed with the Cardinals as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic last year, receiving a reported $1.5 million bonus. He made his stateside debut this season and has thrived in his first taste of full-season pro ball. He's 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA in seven starts for low Class A Quad Cities, with 43 strikeouts against 12 walks in 32 2/3 innings. Martinez has already made one relatively high-profile start, pitching for Quad Cities in a game at Busch Stadium in May.

Six current Cardinals have played in the Futures Game: Lance Berkman, Jaime Garcia, Colby Rasmus, Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez and Adam Wainwright.